Mercedes Benz E 320
Model E 320 made by Mercedes Benz got 18 consumer complains there is 1 investigation as well as 4 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to electrical system, engine and engine cooling and power train. Technical service bulletines regarding power train, steering. The car had one investigation (suspension).
Model 1997
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||||
| LI46-40-P-047549 | 08/13/2009 | 10032709 | Mercedes: cracking/creaking noises from front axle when vehicle is subject to torsion or when steering wheel is turned. this is mainly heard when the vehicle is stationary or when the vehicle is moving slowly. relative movement between th | 04/30/2010 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY - PEDAL/LINKAGE | |||||
| SB-27-00-104 | 04/02/2008 | 10025663 | Slow acceleration with gas pedal hesitation. models 164.122/8ss (ml 320 and gl320); 211.022 (e320); 251.122 (4320). years unknown. *pe | 08/28/2008 | |
| STEERING | |||||
| 20-P-053398 | 03/12/2012 | 10044181 | Xentry: rattling/thumping noises from the area of the steering on rough roads or when driving over road undulations. no model years given. also included models 168 and 172. *js | 05/17/2012 | |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| 461018A | 02/22/2008 | PB 4610/18B | 10010912 | Steering wheel heater not operating correctly or inoperative at cold temperatures. mercedes benz model 211. model year unknown. *tt model 211 (e series). update 8/8/2008. *pe | 12/15/2004 |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | ||||||
| PE07021 | MERCEDES-BENZ USA, LLC. | 04/19/2007 | 08/09/2007 | FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING EJECTION | ||
| Odi has focused this investigation on assessing the risks posed by a separated spring as (1) a road hazard and (2) the potential for vehicle control to be compromised after the front coil spring has been ejected from its intended position in the vehicle.both risks are associated with corrosion, flexing, and fracture of the upper front suspension mounting bracket.time-in-service failure rates are notably higher in salt belt states since corrosion is a primary contributor to the failure mode.since a number of incidents have occurred while the vehicle was being operated, odi is skeptical that owners can always detect the subtle side to side difference in ride height and/or inspect or notice that the upper suspension bracket has been compromised by corrosion.(1) road hazard - although the (approx. 7 lb.) front suspension spring that may be ejected at highway speeds could pose a serious road hazard to pedestrians and other vehicles, the occurrence rate has been low (.03% based on 51 reported incidents occurring and an initial population of 172,781 vehicles after 9 - 12 years of use / exposure) and there are no known injuries, fatalities, or property damage reports due to an ejected spring.also, many of the 51 incidents occurred at low speed or while the vehicle was stopped or parked.(2) vehicle control - vehicle handling and control could be affected by the fracture of the upper suspension mount and/or the associated spring ejection.odi first identified its concern about corrosion in the upper suspension bracket of subject vehicles in 2002, at which time mercedes provided a video that showed that a vehicle could be steered, stopped, and controlled through various maneuvers at high speeds with a front coil spring completely missing from the vehicle. during pe07-021, in addition to reviewing the 2002 video-tape, odi engineers drove an exemplar vehicle with the spring removed and simulated various combinations of steering angles to assess whether there were any possible conditions / displacements in which the separated spring might interfere with the wheels. in a vehicle with the front spring removed, the top of the wheel can lightly contact the bottom area of the wheel fender during high angle turns typically associated with slower speed maneuvers such as city driving. the light tire contact generated an obvious grinding noise and would likely abrade or bend the edge of the fender with continued use.however, the extent of the interference was not sufficient to affect vehicle steering and does not occur at smaller turning angles associated with highway driving.odi has not identified a safety related defect trend at this time.further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that a safety related defect does not exist.the agency reserves the right to take further action if future circumstances warrant. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 01/20/2006 | 99000 | 3 | 09/28/2002 |
| Shortly after purchasing my 1997 e320 in 2003 i took the car in to report an odd acceleration and deceleration while driving in cruise control. dealer at newport beach ca told me that cruise control is not designed to drive in hills, all of oc is full of hills. they did nothing to repair problem, although car was still under warranty. in addition i reported the automatic control opener to not work in temp above 80 degrees. i'm not sure if the problem is related. in 2005 the sensor notice came on to report electronic problem. i took it to the mb in austin texas. the service rep told me it would cost $400 to fix. since we were on an extremely tight budget i asked him if it went un-repaired if i was worsening a problem or endangering my self or my family if i contiued to drive it that way. he said it would be ok to drive. now a few months later around january (cold weather) the car started to idle into vibrations and a strong gas scent fills the car. not trusting the mb i took my car to firestone, they told me it needed a serious tune up...which surprised me because i did one less than a year ago...i'm not sure who to trust and now i'm very worried about the harness wiring and the susceptibility to spontaneous fires. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 06/05/2003 | 60000 | 1 | 08/01/2001 |
| Check engine light has been on for over a year and recently car shakes but not all the time. have had o2 sensors,transmission sensors etc--over $3500.00 and the check engine light still on. still shakes and sputters at times. no one can fix it!!!!!*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 06/05/2003 | 60000 | 1 | 08/01/2001 |
| Check engine light has been on for over a year and recently car shakes but not all the time. have had o2 sensors,transmission sensors etc--over $3500.00 and the check engine light still on. still shakes and sputters at times. no one can fix it!!!!!*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/05/2003 | 60000 | 1 | 08/01/2001 |
| Check engine light has been on for over a year and recently car shakes but not all the time. have had o2 sensors,transmission sensors etc--over $3500.00 and the check engine light still on. still shakes and sputters at times. no one can fix it!!!!!*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer took vehicle in for service to the transmission. consumer was informed that a tune up wasn't the solution. consumers vehicle needed a replacement transmission. since the replacement transmission, consumer has experienced the vehcile not shifting out of first when stopping the vehicle and restarting. the vehicle when coming to a stand still would not resume acceleration until the vehicle was cut off and restarted. consumer took vehicle back to the service center and was informed two of the parts in the replacement transmission were defective. *jg | |||
| SEAT BELTS | |||
| 12/14/2009 | 192000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e-320. the driver was driving approximately 25 mph when the front drivers side seat belt tightened and would not retract. the seat belt was unbuckled but still would not retract. the failure also occurred on the front passenger side seat belt. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told the seat belt modules failed. the seat belts were replaced by the authorized dealer. the failure has since recurred intermittently. after each failure the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to be repaired. the failure mileage was 192,000 and the current mileage was 201,000. sm. | |||
| 12/06/2008 | 171000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e 320. while driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the contact heard a loud popping noise inside the vehicle. unexpectedly, the front and passenger side seat belt retractors instantly locked and secured the occupants. this caused extreme discomfort for the occupants. the contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the seat belts. the seat belt retract mechanism failed to disengage. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to the emergency lock retractors (elr). the emergency locking retractor only activates during a crash or sudden stop, not normal driving. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 171,000. | |||
| SEAT BELTS - FRONT - RETRACTOR | |||
| 10/25/2009 | 113000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1997 mercedes e320. while driving 20 mph the driver-side front seat belt retractor separated. the next day the passenger front seat belt retractor failed identically. the seat belts no longer work properly. a technician from the dealer concluded that the seat belt control module was contaminated. the repair cost $3400.00. the dealer will not release the vehicle until the seat belts are repaired. no repairs were made. the failure and current mileage was 113000. | |||
| STRUCTURE - FRAME AND MEMBERS | |||
| 08/06/2005 | 150000 | 1 | 05/21/1997 |
| The spring perch on the front passenger side already collapsed due to rust, and the drivers side spring perch is about to collapse any minute according to a local body shop. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 10/10/2007 | 132000 | 2 | 04/01/1998 |
| Front spring perch are rusted through on both sides of car. front left spring perch is about 50% rusted thru. mercedes repair shop felt car should be driven carefully. said hitting a big pot hole could break spring perch. repair required immediately. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| The spring support tower in the front right broke away from the body of the vehicle causing a loud noise from the right front tire area, the dealer only agreed to pay 50% of the bill because the warranty expired three weeks before the incident. nlm | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||
| 11/03/2007 | 190000 | 1 | 03/11/2002 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1997 mercedes benz e 320. while driving 10 mph, the contact heard a loud boom. the contact noticed that the passenger side of the vehicle was on the ground. the vehicle was towed to a shop and the contact was informed that the macpherson strut failed. the current and failure mileages were 190,000. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 07/01/2006 | 115000 | 1 | 11/09/2003 |
| Car began to ride abnormally; vibration in the front suspension and no movement from the front suspension as would normally be observed as a result of shock absorber travel. brought the car to a body shop to have it looked at. as i pulled into the parking lot the front suspension totally collapsed and the front springs fell out of the bottom of the car. research on the internet, conversations with the body shop and the local mercedes benz dealer all confirm that this is a known defect from mercedes that the manufacturer is unwilling to recall. there are hundreds of documented cases on the internet. had this incident happened to me while traveling on a highway i and my family could have been seriously injured or killed. car has been in the body shop for nearly 2 weeks as the parts are not available from mercedes benz in germany. i am forced pay for a $2800 repair, as well as rent a car for weeks with no estimated time of arrival of the necessary part to repair the car. this type of failure of a frame weld should never occur on any vehicle. the fact that mercedes has not been forced to issue a recall is outrageous. *jb | |||
| 03/05/2006 | 116300 | 1 | |
| The spring support or cup in the front right wheel well broke away causing a tremendously big noise. this apparently was caused by mercedes not using a high quality sealant allowing water to get into the welds. corrosion and failure followed. i have read that this common is common amongst 300 class cars and that there is a class action suit being pursued in canada. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY | |||
| 03/04/2007 | 81000 | 1 | 08/10/2001 |
| When i changed tires today (march 4, 2007), i found severe corrosion/rust on the front spring perches. the front passenger side perch was already rusted through on one side. the car cannot be driven safely. it is in my garage and has not been repaired. many others have experienced the same issues with mercedes w210 body styled cars. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY - HANGER,BRACKET | |||
| 03/04/2007 | 81000 | 1 | 08/10/2001 |
| When i changed tires today (march 4, 2007), i found severe corrosion/rust on the front spring perches. the front passenger side perch was already rusted through on one side. the car cannot be driven safely. it is in my garage and has not been repaired. many others have experienced the same issues with mercedes w210 body styled cars. *jb | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | NEWPORT BEACH | 92660 | FLETCHER JONES MOTORS | 949-718-3000 |
| GA | COLUMBUS | 31901 | COLUMBUS MOTOR CO | 706-327-3636 |
| NJ | CHERRY HILL | MERCEDES OF CHERRY HILL | ||
| NJ | FAIRFIELD | GLOBE MOTORCARS |